It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Donna Shirin Heaslip of West Vancouver at the age of 87, due to complications with pneumonia.
Donna was born in West Vancouver to Henry and Olive Richmond. She is survived by her brother Rod (Margaret) Richmond, her children, Curt (Helaine), Sheri (Tony Bardsley), and Dean (Julie) Shepard, and her grandchildren, Taylor and Kate Shepard, Nicola, Corey, and Grady Krohman, Jack, Cole, and Will Shepard. Donna thoroughly adored attending all her grand children’s various activities: dance and choir performances, field hockey, soccer, basketball, rugby, and hockey games – she loved them all.
Donna spent much of her youth horseback riding, in the day when the stable was out the back, and Park Royal was a farm. In high school she enjoyed playing on all the sports teams, was the West Vancouver May Flower Queen, and met her extraordinary life long friend, Wendy Swanson, of whom she shared many adventures with over the decades.
While attending West Van High Donna met the love of her life, Bud Shepard. They married shortly after graduation and started their amazing new life together. Family was everything to Donna and Bud; raising their three children with both sets of grandparents living on the same block. It was a family affair. They spent most of their recreational time exploring the beautiful west coast waters, and totally cherished their time at their cabin on Keats Island. Bud and Donna were very involved with the Cable industry where they formed many lasting friendships. Unfortunately, their dream life ended when Bud was taken by cancer at the age of 46.
In memory of a Premier Cablevision employee, who lived with a spinal cord injury, Donna went on to be a Director on the BC Paraplegic Board. Donna enjoyed a breath of interests including boating, badminton, tennis, golf, cards – delighting in the camaraderie of the friends she met along the way.
Donna later married Dr. Alf Heaslip. Over the decades they lived in Semiahmoo, the Bahamas, and Palm Desert, enjoying the sun and spending their time playing golf and bridge with their many friends. They eventually moved back to Vancouver, where they enjoyed connecting with their friends and sharing many activities at Shaughnessy Golf Club and RVYC.
Six years ago, Donna moved to The Westerleigh Parc, where she was incredibly lucky to meet so many lovely new friends. The family would like to thank the amazing Westerleigh team and fellow residents for their care and concern through the last year of mom’s life, with a special thank you to Doris McLachlan for her friendship.
The family would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Boldt and Dr. Brown who provided great care to our mom, especially is such challenging times. We would also like to thank the extraordinary Lions Gate Hospital ICU team and the compassionate North Shore Hospice for their gentle care for both mom and the family during this difficult journey.
A Celebration of Life will be planned once COVID restrictions are lifted. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the North Shore Hospice or a charity of your choice.